Pain-Detecting Computers Can Be Created – Study

A Stanford University research team has revealed that computers can be trained to detect when someone is in pain using brain scans, opening a new avenue which can be used in medicine.

A Stanford University research team is developing computer technology to detect when someone is in pain. Image: aranarth / Flickr (CC)

The announcement came from the research team on Tuesday which said that their research shows that computers can accurately tell when a person is in pain.

The new technology being developed for computers can be used to tell those in the medical field when someone who cannot normally tell – like those in a coma, someone very old or very young, or someone suffering from dementia – is in pain.

In the study published in the journal PLoS One, Stanford University School of Medicine in California’s Dr. Sean Mackey said that: “The question we were trying to answer was can we use neuroimaging to objectively detect whether a person is in a state of pain or not. The answer was yes.”

According to the doctor, the team is “hopeful” that they can use the new computer technology “for better detection and better treatment of chronic pain.”

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A passion for technology and journalism makes this upcoming writer very interested in social media and technology news. Fresh from finishing an English and Journalism degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman, he aims to bring interesting news to our readers .
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